Work feeding mechanism for sewing machines



June 18, 1963 R. J. DI CAMILLO 3,094,088

WORK FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Oct. 28, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 K) I I 7 INVENTOR. [Q Raymond J Di Cami/Io WITNESS 5 BY ATTORNEY June 18, 1963 R. J. D] CAMILLO WORK FEEDING MECHANISM FOR sswmc MACHINES Filed Oct. 28. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Raymondd. Di Cami/l0 BY WITNESS 14,...- Qwi.

TORNEY June 18, 1963 R. J. Dl CAMILLO WORK FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES 3 Sheets Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 28. 1960 INVEN TOR. Raymond J. Di Cami/lo BY w;

' WITNESS d n-J TORNE Y United States Patent 3,094,088 WORK FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Raymond J. Di Camillo, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, NJ.,

a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 65,791 6 Claims. (Cl. 112-211) This invention relates to sewing machines, and more particularly to a novel and improved upper and under wheel feed for a sewing machine.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved upper and under wheel feed mechanism particularly adapted and advantageous for use in a conventional flatbed sewing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide an upper and under wheel feed mechanism in which the registry of the upper and under feed wheels may be conveniently and selectively positioned not only laterally relatively one to the other for optimum cooperation therebetween but also vertically relatively to the Work supporting surface on thesewing machine bed for proper handling of either sheer or full bodied fabrics.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved drive for an upper driven work feeding roller for a sewing machine whereby increased clearance at the stitching point is attained for greater visibility and ease of work handling.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 represents a side elevational view of a sewing machine having this invention applied thereto with portions of the sewing machine casing broken away and illustrated in vertical cross-section,

FIG. 2 represents a bottom plan view of the sewing machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 represents an enlarged end elevational view of the upper and under wheel feed mechanism of this invention with portions of the sewing machine casing broken away and illustrated in vertical cross-section, and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the upper driven roller presser device taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a sewing machine having a casing including a flat bed 11 from which rises a hollow standard 12 supporting a bracket arm 13 overhanging the bed. A main shaft 14 journaled lengthwise in the bracket arm carries a balance wheel drive pulley 15 and is operatively connected by conventional means (not shown) to reciprocate a needle bar 16 carrying a needle 17 and to oscillate a needle thread takeup member 18 supported in the bracket arm.

A bed shaft 19 journaled in bearing lugs 20-20 in the bed carries a belt pulley 21 which is driven by a timing belt 22 from a belt pulley 23 fast on the main shaft 14. By means of gearing indicated generally at 24, and carried on the bed shaft and in a hook saddle 25 secured beneath the bed, a rotary loop-taker 26 is driven from the bed shaft in timed relation with the reciprocation of the needle in the formation of stitches. The bed shaft 19 is driven at the same speed as the main shaft, and if, as in the preferred embodiment, the loop-taker is a lock stitch rotary hook, the gearing 24 in the hook saddle preferably provides for rotation of the hook at twice the speed of the hook shaft.

, Iournaled in bearings 30--30 in the bed parallel to the bed shaft 19 is a feed drive shaft 31 which carries a pair of Horton type clutches 32 and 33. The clutch 32 is anchored to the bed 11 and prevents retrograde motion of the feed drive shaft 31 permitting shaft motion only in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. The clutch 33 is fitted with a rock arm 34 and is arranged drivingly to connect the rock arm 34 to the feed drive shaft in only a counterclockwise motion of the rock arm as viewed in FIG. 3. A pitman 35 which embraces an adjustable feed eccentric 36 on the bed shaft 19 is connected by means of a pin 37 to the clutch rock arm 34 thus to impart intermittent turning movement to the feed drive shaft in one direction in timed relation to the operation of the needle and loop-taker.

Freely journaled on the free extremity of the feed drive shaft 31 on a hearing such a needle bearing 40 is the cylindrical hub portion 41 of a feed wheel supporting frame 42 in the free extremity of which is journaled a feed wheel shaft 43 on which is carried a feed wheel 44 (formed integrally with a cogged belt pulley or sprocket 45. The feed wheel supporting frame 42 is threaded to accommodate a fastening screw 46 which extends through an arcuate slot 47 in a fastening angle bracket 48 which is slotted as at 49 to accommodate a pair of fastening screws 5050 threaded into the machine bed. By adjusting the fastening screw 46 in the arcuate slot 47 the angular position of the feed wheel supporting frame 42 may be adjusted about the axis of the feed drive shaft to raise or lower the feed wheel to project more or less through a feed accommodating slot 51 formed in a throat plate 52 carried on the bed 11 of the sewing machine. By adjusting the fastening bracket 48 relatively to the bed as provided by the slot 49 and the fastening screws 50 50, the feed wheel supporting bracket arm and with it the feed wheel 44 may be adjusted lengthwise of the bed, for instance, to center the feed wheel in the throat plate slot 51.

The hub portion 41 of the feed Wheel supporting frame is formed with a shouldered portion 53 of reduced diameter on which is adjustably secured by set screws 54, the hub portion 55 of an idler pulley supporting arm 56 in the free extremity of which is journaled an idler pulley or sprocket 57.

Fast on the feed drive shaft 31 is a cogged belt drive pulley or sprocket 58 substantially wider than a cogged belt 59 which engages the drive pulley 58, the idler pulley 57 and the pulley 45 associated with the feed wheel.

The idler pulley 57 when once adjusted by means of the set screws 54 to provide proper tension in the belt 59 will maintain that desired belt tension in any position of adjustment of the feed wheel supporting frame 42 since the frame 42 and the arm 56 once properly adjusted maintain a fixed relationship about the axis of the feed drive pulley 58.

At the standard extremity of the feed drive shaft 31 is fixed a cogged belt drive pulley 60 adapted to drive the upper driven roller presser by means of a cogged belt 61 guided by idler pulleys 62-62 within the standard and engaging a cogged belt pulley 63 associated with a variable diameter pulley 64 carried on a support 65 in the bracket arm 13. The variable diameter pulley 64 may be of the type disclosed in the United States Pinkvoss Patent No. 2,875,716, March 3, 1959, to which reference may be had and differing from that discl'osed in the Pinkvoss patent only in that it is adapted to be driven by the cogged belt pulley 63 closely adjacent the variable diameter pulley rather than by the remotely arranged drive pulley as in the patent disclosure.

An endless belt 66 operatively engaging the variable diameter pulley 64 extends lengthwise along the sewing machine bracket arm 13 over a pair of idler pulleys 6767 journaled in a bracket 68 hinged as at 69 atop the bracket arm 13 and downwardly along the front of a the bracket arm to a driven pulley 70.

Slidable endwise in the bracket arm 13 is a downwardly biased presser bar 80 having a straight cylindrical lower extremity 81 formed with an axial bore 82. The

presser bar may be raised by any conventional presser lifting means. Fixed on the presser bar is a collar 83 formed with a depending lug 84. Journaled on the cylindrical lower extremity 81 of the presser bar is a sleeve 85 to which is secured a roller presser supporting bracket 86 having a roller presser 87 formed with a knurled work engaging rim 88 journaled thereon by means of ball bearings 89 secured in place by a headed screw 90. The sleeve portion 85 is provided with a notch 91 to accommodate the depending lug 84 for locating the roller presser supporting bracket in operative position. A coil spring 92 accommodated in a counterbore in the sleeve 85 is constrained on the presser bar by a headed pin 93 secured by a set screw 94 resiliently urging the sleeve portion 85 against the collar 83. The roller presser supporting bracket 86 may be depressed lowering the notch 91 out of engagement with the depending lug 84 so that the roller presser may be swung aside. The roller presser supporting bracket is formed with an upwardly extending arm 95 provided with a vertically elongate aperture 96 and above the aperture 96 with a transverse cylindrical bore 97 in which is journaled a stud bolt 98 formed adjacent the bracket arm 95 with an eccentric portion 99. A plate 100 formed with a horizontally elongate slot 101 embracing the eccentric portion 99 of the stud bolt 98 is formed beneath the slot 161 with a tang 102 slidably accommodated in the vertically elongate aperture 96 of the bracket arm 95.

The driven pulley 70 is journaled on a headed screw 105 carried in the plate 109 and is formed at one side with a wheel portion 106 to which is bonded a rim 107 of deformable resilient material which is preferably of nylon but which may be of hard rubber, synthetic rubber, such as Buna S, phenolic plastic material or the like. By turning the stud bolt 98, the eccentric portion 99 in the slot 101 serves to shift the plate 160 and with it the rimmed wheel portion 106 of the pulley 7t vertically along the presser wheel supporting bracket arm 95 so that the rim 107 of resilient material may be adjusted into driving engagement with the top of the presser wheel. A lock nut 108 on the bolt 98 serves to clamp the plate 95 in selected position of adjustment relatively to the bracket arm 100.

The plate 100 is formed at the top with an offset 110 having a depression 111 therein to accommodate a pressure rod 112 which extends upwardly and at the upper extremity extends loosely through an apertured lug 113 formed in the idler pulley bracket 68. Nuts 1'14 threaded on the pressure rod 112 beneath the lug 113 constrain a coil spring 115 in compression against the lug 113 which serves to bias the idler pulley bracket 68 upwardly to maintain constant tension on the endless belt 66.

The arrangement of the driven belt pulley 70 on a separate axis spaced above the presser roller 87 and the drive to the presser wheel by means of the frictional engagement of the rim 107 with the top of the presser wheel, in contrast with conventional belt driven presser wheels in which the belt pulley is associated directly with the presser roller, makes possible a considerable reduction in the width of the presser roller and also a reduction in the size and shape of the roller presser supporting bracket 86. An advantage of this construction is in increased visibility and space for operator manipulation of work fabrics at the stitching point.

Although this invention is illustrated in the drawings as applied to a roller presser, that is, a Work feeding roller which opposes a work feeding device beneath the work supporting bed, it will be appreciated that this construction may also be advantageously applied to a work feeding roller disposed above and operating in opposition to the work supporting bed, such as a puller feed roller disposed rearwardly of a conventional presser device.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine having a casing including a Work supporting bed, and a bracket arm overhanging said bed, a presser device carried by said bracket arm and biased toward said bed, a feed drive shaft journaled in said bed, means driven by said sewing machine for imparting rotary motion to said feed drive shaft in one direction of rotation, a feed wheel supporting frame journaled freely on said feed drive shaft, a feed wheel journaled on said frame on an axis substantially parallel to that of said feed drive shaft, a sprocket fixed for rotation with said feed wheel, an idler supporting arm carried by said feed wheel supporting frame, an idler sprocket journaled on said idler supporting arm on an axis substantially parallel to that of said feed drive shaft, means for securing said idler supporting arm relatively to said feed wheel supporting frame in selected angular position about the axis of said feed drive shaft, means for securing said feed wheel supporting frame relatively to said sewing machine bed in selected angular position about the axis of said feed drive shaft to position said feed wheel in opposition to said presser device, a drive sprocket fast on said feed drive shaft, and a timing belt entrained about said sprockets for imparting rotation to said feed wheel upon rotation of said feed drive shaft.

2. In a sewing machine having a casing including a work supporting bed, and a bracket arm overhanging said bed, a presser device carried by said bracket arm and biased toward said bed, a feed drive shaft journaled beneath said bed, means driven by said sewing machine for imparting rotary motion to said feed drive shaft in one direction of rotation, a feed wheel supporting frame formed with a hub portion, bearing means in said hub journaled for turning and axial sliding movement on said feed drive shaft, a cylindrical portion formed on said hub concentric with said bearing means, a feed wheel journaled on said frame on an axis substantially parallel to that of said feed drive shaft, an idler supporting arm journaled on said cylindrical hub portion of said feed wheel supporting frame, an idler sprocket journaled on said idler supporting arm on an axis substantially parallel to that of said feed drive shaft, means for securing said idler supporting arm to said feed wheel supporting frame in selected angular position about said cylindrical hub portion, means for securing said feed wheel supporting bracket to said bed including an angle bracket, means for securing said angle bracket beneath said bed in selected position along a line substantially parallel to said feed drive shaft, a fastening means for securing said feed wheel supporting frame to said angle bracket, both said angle bracket and said feed wheel supporting frame being formed with an aperture for accommodating said fastening means, one of said apertures being arcuate and having a center of curvature substantially coincident with the axis of said feed drive shaft, a drive sprocket fast on said feed drive shaft, and a timing belt entrained about said sprockets for imparting rotation to said feed wheel upon rotation of said feed drive shaft.

3. In a sewing machine having a casing including a work supporting bed, and a bracket arm overhanging said bed, a feed drive shaft journaled in said sewing machine casing, means driven by said sewing machine for imparting rotary motion to said feed drive shaft in one direction of rotation, a work feeding roller presser carried by said bracket arm, a Work engaging rim formed on said work feeding roller presser disposed in opposition to said work supporting bed, and means for driving said work feeding roller presser including a drive wheel, a rim formed on said drive wheel of deformable resilient material, means for supporting said drive wheel rim in frictional engagement with said work feeding roller presser rim, and means drivingly connecting said feed drive shaft with said drive wheel.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which said drive wheel is supported on an axis at the opposite side of the work feeding roller presser from the work supporting bed of the sewing machine.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 3 a presser bar slidably carried in said sewing machine bracket arm, a bracket secured to said presser bar, means for journaling said work feeding roller presser on said bracket, a member slidably constrained on said bracket for movement toward and away from said work feeding roller presser, means for journaling said drive Wheel on said slidable member and cooperating means on said bracket and said member for selectively positioning said drive Wheel into frictional engagement with said work feeding roller presser.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 in which the cooperating means for selectively positioning said drive wheel into frictional engagement with said work feeding roller presser comprises a bolt journaled in said bracket, an eccentric portion formed on said bolt, said slidable member being formed with an aperture elongate transversely of the direction of sliding movement of said member toward and away from said work feeding roller presser and embracing said eccentric portion, and a lock nut on said bolt for clamping said bracket and said member in selected position of adjustment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,625 Corrall et al May 2, 1922 2,317,762 Hale Apr. 27, 1943 2,601,698 Humphrey July 1, 1952 12,678,010 Pinkvoss May 11, 1954 2,885,982 Hale May 12, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 511,608 Belgium June 14, 1952 

1. IN A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A CASING INCLUDING A WORK SUPPORTING BED, AND A BRACKET ARM OVERHANGING SAID BED, A PRESSER DEVICE CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET ARM AND BIASED TOWARD SAID BED, A FEED DRIVE SHAFT JOURNALED IN SAID BED, MEANS DRIVEN BY SAID SEWING MACHINE FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOTION TO SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT IN ONE DIRECTION OF ROTATION, A FEED WHEEL SUPPORTING FRAME JOURNALED FREELY ON SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT, A FEED WHEEL JOURNALED ON SAID FRAME ON AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THAT OF SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT, A SPROCKET FIXED FOR ROTATION WITH SAID FEED WHEEL, AN IDLER SUPPORTING ARM CARRIED BY SAID FEED WHEEL SUPPORTING FRAME, AN IDLER SPROCKET JOURNALED ON SAID IDLER SUPPORTING ARM ON AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THAT OF SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID IDLER SUPPORTING ARM RELATIVELY TO SAID FEED WHEEL SUPPORTING FRAME IN SELECTED ANGULAR POSITION ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FEED WHEEL SUPPORTING FRAME RELATIVELY TO SAID SEWING MACHINE BED IN SELECTED ANGULAR POSITION ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT TO POSITION SAID FEED WHEEL IN OPPOSITION TO SAID PRESSER DEVICE, A DRIVE SPROCKET FAST ON SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT, AND A TIMING BELT ENTRAINED ABOUT SAID SPROCKETS FOR IMPARTING ROTATION TO SAID FEED WHEEL UPON ROTATION OF SAID FEED DRIVE SHAFT. 